It is one of the biggest cruise liners in the world, and it’s based in Britain. PAUL COLE sets sail on a sneak peak voyage aboard Independence Of The Seas...

IT’S tricky out there on the ice. You’ve seen the bumps and bruises suffered by television’s Dancing On Ice celebrities.

Now imagine skating in the middle of the English Channel. In a gale force wind.

Because that’s what the Olympic and world championship skaters are doing as we watch in awed admiration onboard one of three Freedom Class liners – the biggest in the world.

The skaters speed round the ice, with all the spins, twists and tricks of international competition as the deck moves beneath them on the £400m Independence of the Seas, a supership that boasts all the facilities of a small city.

Royal Caribbean’s newest ship has an onboard theatre holding as many guests as three 747 jetliners; the Royal Promenade shopping mall is longer than a Premiership football pitch. The ship is home to 4,375 guests and 1,360 crew.

There’s even a nine-hole golf course for some oceangoing holes-in-one.

Cruise line bosses say they built big only because they wanted to include so many attractions aimed fair and square at a younger market.

This isn’t a blue rinse boat. It’s designed with everyone from young families to forty-somethings in mind. Above all, it’s designed for fun.

Hence the 760-seat ice rink is a fully-equipped ice theatre with state-of-the-art lighting and sound.

There are bars, lounges and live music venues galore, an English pub serving up Boddingtons and live football broadcasts (a first for the American cruise line), a library, internet cafe and even a wedding chapel.

And for the kids, there’s an American diner and almost half a deck of computer games, arcade machines, table football, air hockey, adventure and activity play.

There’s a 43ft climbing wall high up on the top decks, a range of pools from the brightly-coloured H20 Zone for kids to a dedicated sports pool for events from water volleyball to synchronised swimming.

Two spectacular whirlpool baths jut out 12ft from the side of the top deck.

As you relax in the bubbles, there are vertiginous views down to the ocean, all of 112ft below. And the central pool boasts underwater music.

The undoubted star of the show, however, is the FlowRider, a surf simulator which enables riders to surf or body board against a wave-like rush of water.

It’s adrenalin-inducing adventure, and also frantic fun to watch. If it all sounds very, well, American, that’s because it is.

But it’s been subtly tweaked for the British market – there’s a kettle in every cabin!

A British sense of humour has been a requirement when hiring the ship’s entertainers; you can get black pudding at breakfast; the ship’s pub serves most un-American warm beer alongside the lagers, spirits and cocktails.

The Premiership football feed is beamed not just to some of the bars but also to cabins. Royal Caribbean invested a small fortune in securing coverage of Euro 2008 only for all four Home Nations and the Irish to let them down.

So, is it all plain sailing?

Well, rising fuel prices have led to a small increase in surcharges – although with brochure fares of around £100 a day including everything the ship has to offer, cruising still represents good value for money.

The ship’s two towering atriums, with their glass lifts and stylish staircases are so beautiful that they take your breath away. But if you don’t have a head for heights, you’ll find yourself making lengthy detours.

And with so much attention to the big picture, there are small niggles.

Venture into the Windjammer buffet restaurant and there’s a world of choice in stylish surrounds – but if you’re less than 5ft 8in you’ll have to stand on tiptoe to read the labels on the top of the glass case counters.

But at the end of the day, perhaps what is most surprising is how much they’ve got right in such a short space of time.

The ship is superbly appointed and the service is polite, speedy and friendly.

Yes, you’ll be told to ‘have a nice day’ perhaps once too often, but take it in the spirit in which it is intended. They really do want you to have a great time.